Devil's Snare
by black-venom-heart
Summary: Set during the Salem Witch Trials, Alanna finds herself in the midst of the horrible ordeal as more people are accused of witchcraft while she deals with a secret romance and a betrayal from a close friend. When tragedy strikes who will save her?
1. Inferno

**For those of you familiar with my stories, you're probably wondering what I'm doing creating a new one when I have two others to update already. Well, I really liked the idea of Alanna during the Salem Witch Trials in the 1600's so I couldn't wait to write it. I wrote a rough draft of the whole story and holy crap this is not something you want to miss. Enjoy!**

Alanna peeked out from under the doorway and sighed heavily. The parched grass in her yard lay withered and yellow while the flowers she had planted in the spring sat wilted and dead around the doorstep. Although it was but early June, the weather had been hot and unfavorable for New England this time of year and already the land was dying and wasting away. Just as the small town of Salem was usually alive and full of activity, the recent Witch Accusations and the drought had halted many of the year's preparations for farming. Instead, the tumultuous events had turned neighbor against neighbor and friends against friends.

_In such a disparaging and religious a town as Salem, such friendly bonds are almost non-existent, _Alanna thought as she knelt down and plucked a small violet from its stem. Its majestic hue matched her unusual eyes exactly. _Salem is not known for its acceptance of others. In our world that only extends to the borders of the town, friends are few and you only keep to yourself if you wish to have any respectable standing in this horrid town. _She looked up at the darkening blue sky. Evening was about to set in and the sky remained clear of the rain clouds that the townspeople had prayed for.

"Alanna where are you?" Alanna's father called from instead the house. A tall man came to the open door. His build was slim and his brown hair showed more gray every day. His dull brown eyes contained no small sparkle. He had never strayed from the rules and traditions his whole life and Alanna found it hard to believe that this man was really her and her twin's father. Both Alanna and Thom both had wild coppery red hair and brilliant violet eyes. Long before the absurd accusations of witchery appeared in Salem, many people had secretly considered the twins harbingers of sin and thus stayed clear of them. Some even went so far as to say that it was because of them that their mother died in childbirth.

"Heavens above, why are crouching in the dirt like that? Come inside before you dirty your skirts and someone sees you." Warren Trebond waved his daughter inside. Alanna cradled the violet in one hand and tucked a stray strand of her coppery red hair under her cap and shivered as she entered her house. The inside was dark and plain, as was expected by Puritan standards. A kettle had been hung over the fireplace and her father's cloak had been thrown over one of the wooden chairs at the table.

"Are you going out Father?" Alanna asked. She put the flower in a vase already containing several others.

"Yes, I must report immediately to the courthouse. Apparently another girl was stricken with hysterics and the fear is of witchcraft." Master Trebond swung his cloak onto his shoulders, thought about the sweltering heat outside and removed it, opting instead for his hat.

"Who is ill now?"

He paused. "Abigail Maurice was stricken. Now please don't concern yourself about these evils, you wouldn't want to trouble your delicate mind with it. Remember, the Lord will protect the innocent and meek from all evils."

"Well he hasn't done a very good job here in Salem, has he? Not with all these people becoming 'ill'" Alanna raised her voice angrily.

"Blasphemy, Alanna!" her father spat. "You know what the magistrates will do to you if they hear the slightest whisper of such things"

"They're sniffing in the wrong direction then. Abigail Maurice is obviously a fake, wanting nothing more than – "

Warren Trebond rushed towards his daughter in two strides and slapped her across her face. Alanna fell to the hard wooden floor and held her stinging cheek. She looked up to her father, hate boiling in her eyes.

"I will not have you talking that way! I won't be challenged in my own house by my child, who is supposed to be both obedient and subordinate to their father! I will forgive you this time, as the heat is affecting your judgment." Master Trebond opened the door. "Remember to do your chores otherwise there will be no supper for you." With that, he left. Alanna stood and threw her shoe at the closed door.

"I make your supper you dirty bastard!" She screamed.

"Another one of your fits?" A calm and collected Thom came down from the stairs. "Soon they'll be hauling you off to the stocks."

"Hilarious, really Thom, considering I'm not the one with hemlock, voodoo dolls and a book of the dark occult under my bed." Alanna retrieved her shoe and poured herself a cup of tea.

"It's all for an experiment." Thom said as he snatched the cup of tea away from Alanna.

"What kind of experiment? How long it takes before the magistrates come pounding at our door?" Alanna asked sarcastically. She hauled a chair to the cupboard and stood upon it so that she could reach the top shelf containing more cups.

"No, I'm actually investigating whether witchcraft really exists, and so far I'm convinced that there is no proof that any of it exists. It's simply coincidence and superstitions causing people to see what they want to see." Thom said in his even voice. While he too had Alanna's slim build, violet eyes and red hair, he was nearly six feet tall. He was to be a pastor although he had no patience for religion, instead interesting himself in practical medicine and science. Such things were too, outlawed and taboo in Puritan society and he only did his experiments at night or when their father had gone to the meeting house, which was quite often. Alanna had no patience for Thom's careful and precise "hobbies" and preferred to be outdoors as much as possible. She suspected her father was trying to find a suitable husband for her, a frightening thought to Alanna who did not wish to be tied down for the rest of her life. Of course, now would not be the best time to bring this up to her father, for that was too considered a sign of witchcraft, going against traditional values.

"All of this witchcraft nonsense is nothing more than people being condemned for not fitting into the confines of society. There is no freedom here." Alanna moaned and sat at the table with her head in her arms.

"Finally, some reason, and coming from my wild sister." Thom sipped his tea and returned it to Alanna. "But still, no one is going to listen to us. They want entertainment, even though they won't admit it. They want to blame someone else for their faults and blaming someone who is already considered a misfit is the easiest option for them."

"But don't you think, that perhaps God is really punishing us?" Alanna whispered as she sat up in her chair.

Thom scoffed. "What could God possibly punish us for? We do our work, live our lives with little to no excitement, go to Church and praise him and we beat our children. How is the mighty Lord not happy with us?"

Alanna winced as Thom's tone became more sarcastic and his accusations completely blasphemous. "Oh please Thom, you know I feel the same way but saying it aloud scares me somehow."

"How can it scare you? Are you afraid your words might become venomous snakes?"

"No!" Alanna argued. "It's just that when you say it aloud, it just, I don't know, it seems that someone might overhear you, that someone might report you. I don't want to end up on the gallows. Not like Mary Walcott." She whispered the name. Thom looked down at his feet, thinking of the poor woman who was unjustly put to death after being indicted of witchcraft and worship of the Devil.

The town magistrate had condemned Mary Walcott, the widow who lived on the edge of town, to death by hanging. The prison wardens had paraded the accused throughout town in a wagon with Mary's hands tied together, her eyes cast downward the entire way, completely humiliated. But once the wagon had come to a stop at the gallows, the widow had held her head up high and slowly ascended the stairs to meet her death. Some people in the crowd were appalled that she could walk that way although she had committed such a horrendous sin. Alanna had been disgusted by the sight of the scornful crowd. Anyone with an ounce of common sense knew Mary Walcott couldn't even conceive the thought of ever dawdling in witchcraft. She helped the unfortunate and came to church every Sunday and was a very pious woman who only mourned the passing of her husband. No one had dared speak up for her in the courthouse as she pleaded not guilty to the charges. No, in fact, many had jeered at her and many acted appalled that the Devil could so cleverly hide his agent among the innocent townspeople. It had been Abigail Maurice that led the magistrates to Mary Walcott. Abigail had said that Mary looked at her funny in Church during Sunday mass and mumbled something under her breath. When Abigail had returned home, she became ill and could not receipt her prayers. Only when Mary Walcott was in prison had she been able to pray.

Alanna had tried to speak out against the injustice, but her father had shushed her and slapped her cheek. Mary Walcott had then returned to prison that night after the judges, Reverends Cotton Mather and Samuel Parris found her guilty. She was hung the next morning.

Alanna could still remember the look of fear in Mary's eyes, even though she retained her confident posture. Mary had lost her cap and her honey-colored hair tumbled out of its bun and curled angelically around her shoulders.

"Hear now, ye citizens of Salem. We stand here in the presence of our Lord and Creator, on this day of the twenty-ninth day of the month of May, in the year of 1692 of our beloved Savior." One of the magistrates, Philip Martin, declared from a scroll as he stood next to Mary. "We come together to bear witness to the justice of our town, to the hanging of the accused witch by the name of Mary Walcott. Her heretic crimes include but are not limited to, the degradation of God's Church, the sin of witchcraft, the contamination of the morals and values of our community, the pollution of our children's minds and, the most serious offense, the alliance with the Devil himself!"

_If anyone here is the Devil, it's Philip Martin, not poor Mary!_ Alanna wanted to cry out. How beautiful Mary looked in the morning sun, the light playing along her golden hair. Master Martin looked frightening, garbed in all black, according to Puritan dress. His old and flabby face and white hair contrasted horribly against Mary's youthfulness. The Magistrate finally finished his declaration and the hangman stepped forward to put the noose around Mary's neck.

"Mrs. Mary Walcott, would you confess to witchcraft and denounce alliance to the Devil?" The last offer for redemption was but a false hope; even if she confessed Mary's death would be put off to a later date.

"My only alliance is with God and his holy and good ways. I denounce having anything to do with witchcraft."

"Then you will be hanged until dead." The hangman then pulled the lever and Mary Walcott plunged down. Her legs kicked until finally she stopped her dance of death and hung still from the rope.

Alanna could not tear her sight away from the miserable body hanging from the rope. Tears streamed down her face as she walked home with her family. Her father reprimanded her as soon as they came through the door, saying that it was not right to express feelings towards a criminal for fear of being considered in league with them

_Of course Father doesn't care about his children unless we make any move that might humiliate him or the family. _Both Alanna and Thom found their father unbearable. Sometimes, at night when Thom slept soundly next to her, she muttered a prayer to God that perhaps he might send her mother down from heaven or send a guardian angel to her for comfort and guidance. Living with her Father made Alanna's life miserable as he never allowed them any fun, especially not Alanna. She was raised to become a mother and housewife, to be obedient and docile and to submit to her husband. Alanna couldn't fathom why a god so highly praised such as hers would take away children's mothers from the very beginning, make woman to assume an inferior position in life and yet expect nothing less than total and complete selfless dedication from the masses who worshipped him. It confused Alanna terribly yet to pull away from the Church would be heresy and now with the Witch Trials, it was bet to keep your head down and mumble your prayers in Church as it kept you alive in these dark times.

Still, as Alanna sat with Thom at the table in their kitchen and thought of Mary Walcott's hanging a week ago, she didn't feel like keeping her head down. Why couldn't she stand up and make the townspeople see what she could see? She sighed again and downed her tea. She got up and tightened her cap.

"Where are you off too?" Thom asked his sister as she made to leave.

"I have to go feed the animals." She said crossly. "Make sure the house is organized before Father gets home yes? I don't want to listen to his complaining when he gets home." Thom nodded his head in confirmation and Alanna made her way to the family's barn in the gathering dusk. It was a dank and humid evening and the violet-eyed girl swatted mosquitos out of her face.

The sweet smell of hay and horse calmed her raging nerves, as the barn was her one place where she could find solitude when she needed it most. She went up and patted Moonlight, her golden mare, on her flank and hugged her tightly.

"I wish you were a person," Alanna murmured in vain into the horse's coat. She stood there for a few minutes, softly stroking Moonlight's nose. She pulled herself away from the mare and went about making sure the animals had enough feed. As Alanna was putting the pitchfork away, an arm slithered around her waist and pulled her against a muscular chest as a hand covered her mouth

Immediately Alanna's mind went into overdrive and she frantically kicked and flailed, trying to fend off her attacker. She rammed her heel between the man's legs and with an "Ompf!" he let her go.

Alanna spun around, only to find none other than George Cooper sprawled in the hay.

"George!" Alanna breathlessly stated. She ran to the barn door to look for anyone coming this way. Seeing no one around, she securely closed the barn's door.

George winced as he held his crouch. "Aye it's me lass."

Alanna rushed to his side. "We must be quiet, in case we are found." She whispered. "I'm so sorry that I've hurt you George, I really am. But you know you mustn't sneak up me like that. And you mustn't always come to me like this." Alanna glanced around.

"In what way lass?" George whispered, his hazel eyes twinkling. "I thought today I might actually be able to surprise you."

Alanna ran her fingers through George's brown curls, admiring the silky feeling and luster of the man's hair. "No, I don't ever think you'll be able to surprise me. I meant that we always shouldn't be sneaking around like this. Couldn't you call on me properly? "

"I thought you yourself said that your father doesn't like me?" George now sat up with a wince and took hold of Alanna's hands in his own. He admired how smooth and small her hands were when they were compared to his rough ones, his toughed by years of farmwork. "And besides, even if I was allowed to see you we wouldn't be able to talk of anything 'cept the weather and the Lord's almighty goodness." He said with a wink.

Alanna smiled at the truth of George's words knowing quite well that any interaction between them anywhere else would be supervised and noted by everyone within the immediate area.

"Well I guess I am lucky that your father is out tonight. What would he think of you and me rolling about in the hay like this?" He asked.

Alanna stared into George's eyes and then looked away. "I really prefer not to talk of my father right now. I have quite enough of him for one day." She clasped her hands around the man's own. "Could we not talk of him?"

"Of course lass, anything else would be a might pleasanter." A small silence followed. Alanna shyly snuck a peek at George. His face wouldn't be described as beautiful, but handsome in a rugged way. He looked absolutely charming and mischievous when he grinned and his nose was a bit too big for his face. He was taller, and had a toned physic, even though Alanna had never seen more of his body than his face and his forearms, having seen him work in the fields. George saw her gaze and grinned. Alanna's heart fluttered and a blush spread across her cheeks. Although the light in the barn was limited by a small lantern, George couldn't possibly miss the reddening of Alanna's cheeks. How sweet she looked! She never believed him when he called her pretty.

George turned Alanna's head towards him with a soft finger and looked hesitant for a moment, then leaned down to kiss her. They had exchanged small kisses before but tonight Alanna knew that small kisses would not be enough for her. George broke off the kiss much too soon.

"No," She mumbled. She tugged on George's shirt to bring his lips against hers once more. She pressed her body against his muscular chest and he fell backwards onto a pile of straw. She savored the sweet warmth of lips on hers and the solid comfort of George's body. Arms drew her tighter to him and Alanna slipped her own arms around George's neck. She shifted a little bit and George moaned. He broke the kiss again and lay back on the hay, panting only the slightest bit. Beneath her drab gown, Alanna could feel George's racing heart rate.

"Please don't leave me alone George." She whispered.

"Only say the word and I'll be here for you love," George whispered back. He kissed her again, more urgently this time and Alanna responded with a fervor that surprised her. George rolled them over so now he was lying to top of her. Alanna's hair spilled loosed from under her cap and George entwined his fingers in her wild curls. Alanna arched her back and deepened their kiss. George probed her mouth tentatively with his tongue and Alanna whimpered and wrapped her leg around George's waist.

A sudden knocking on the barn door made both of them freeze.

"Alanna are you finished?" Thom called through the closed door. "The meeting at the courthouse was adjourned a few minutes ago. Father will be back soon." He paused. "Please make yourself decent for supper." Alanna knew this was Thom's code for 'Make it look as if you weren't kissing a man that you're not supposed to be with in the barn'.

George pecked Alanna's lips once more and got up quickly.

"I hate to be leaving you like this, lass." He helped her up and flecked off bits of hay, "I hate having to leave you at all."

"Come back soon?" Alanna begged.

"As soon as possible." He promised and sealed it with a kiss.

Alanna shuttered the lantern and let George out the door. She waited a few moments and then made her way to the house. All the while, her heart raced faster than it ever had before. She felt that this confined life would no longer hold any interest to her. She felt that she should be as free as the nightingale, who tweeted its sweet song in the soft evening dusk.

**Yay! So obviously this is not historically accurate. I will say that I borrowed some names from the Witch Trials but they won't line up with the actual historical events. Tell me what you think and what's good and what's bad. Any review is good for me! Look out for the next chapter!**


	2. Limbo

**I was in my university library writing this the other night and I was thinking "Should I wait until I have another chapter written before I post this one so people don't have to wait so long for the next chapter?" And then I was like "Well, it's been sitting in my folder for about 6 months. Time to post." Ha! Don't worry. Sorry about the never-ending period between not updating. College life is a bitch. **

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><p>Alanna stepped out of her house in the pre-dawn light and admired the silence surrounding her before the hustle of the day began. That peace would not last, that she was sure of.<p>

She carried a bucket in each hand as she made her way to the well so she could fill up the water needed for morning chores. Thom, of course, would be of no use. He slept in til late morning and it took Alanna's full strength to drag her brother from his bed.

Alanna was deciding just how she would manage to carry two full, heavy buckets of water back to her house when she saw Jonathon Conté at the well. He waved at Alanna as he approached and then put down his own bucket next to the well.

"Good morning Alanna." Jon smiled as he said her name.

"Good morning Jon." She replied. Although they should not use each other's first names when addressing each other in front of their Elders, they decided it was a silly rule. Alanna and Jonathon had known each other all of their lives and it seemed rather unnecessary that they should lose their childhood bond of intimacy in the name of what was proper. Alanna could not remember the last time that she had spoken freely with Jon without having to worry if they were being overheard.

"Would you like some help with that?" Jon nodded towards her buckets. Before she could answer, Jon had hooked one of her buckets onto the chain and lowered it into the well.

"I'm sure I could have managed that." Alanna said, not without a hint of annoyance.

Jon chuckled heartily. "I haven't had the chance to speak with you in ages and you want to converse of buckets." The girl in question pursed her lips and tried to think of another conversation subject before she let out a snarky remark.

"I heard you were finally engaged to Thayet." Alanna said over the sounds of rattling chains as Jon hauled her bucket up from the depths of the well. Water sloshed over the wooden rim and onto the grassy turf. It wasn't shocking news that Jonathon Conté was to be wed to Thayet _jian_ Wilima: they had been promised to each other by their parents since they were very small.

"That isn't anything new," He laughed. "But yes, now that the engagement has been made official and the wedding day has almost arrived, I suppose I must become used to everyone talking of it." He hauled up her second water-filled bucket and put it next to the other. Jonathon continued on, but in a lower tone as if he did not want to be overheard. "I must confide in you, Alanna. I've known you all my life. There's no one else in this town who I trust more than you."

Alanna nodded and leaned closer, eager to hear of what Jon thought so serious that he would only confide in her.

"It's a rather unnerving piece of information about Thayet herself." Jon bit his lower lip. "There have been whispers among the young men in Salem that she is…unvirtuous." He said it as if the word itself was poisonous venom. "Luckily, this hasn't reached the ears of the magistrates or my father otherwise there would be an inquisition, surely ending for the worse on Thayet's part. Oh Alanna, what do I do?"

A sort of desperation had crept into Jon's voice. He was pleading to her for advice and all Alanna could do was stand in shocked silence. Thayet? Unvirtuous? Surely Jon could not mean that Thayet had bedded anyone? That would warrant a far harsher punishment than just extra laundry or field work. No, it would mean banishment from the community. Alanna did not want to remind Jon of the potential outcomes if the rumor suddenly became public knowledge.

"I'm sure it's nothing." Alanna replied, in a comforting yet confident tone, as if she believed every word she said. "Obviously there are people jealous of Thayet, and your engagement. She is the most beautiful and virtuous girl in town, that's reason enough for someone to dislike her. Add to the fact that she is to be wed to you, well, I'm sure that the rumor could have originated with a heart-broken girl who wanted your hand." What Alanna told her friend wasn't a lie, exactly. There were many reasons that anyone of marrying age could be jealous of either Jon or Thayet. Their union was to be one of power, of position, to show off the elevated social status in their community. With as much boasting as one could do in a modest Puritan community.

Jon sighed deeply. "I hope you're right. But I won't rest easy until I know the full truth."

"Jonathon," Alanna said in a firm tone. "You and I have known Thayet all of our lives and never once has she given us any reason to expect that sort of behavior from her. And she knows that she's to be married to you. She wouldn't jeopardize that by bedding a random man!" She said the last bit with more feverish and emotional vigor than she had intended.

Jon stood still for a moment, and then broke out into a grin. He ruffled her cap affectionately much like he had done when they were younger. Alanna's heart panged for innocent times long gone.

"I always knew you were the more rational one, at least before you go into a rage that is." Jon laughed which only made Alanna scowl.

"I could as easily have said that I personally saw Thayet meandering out in the fields with Raoul." This only elicited another bout of laughter from Jon.

"Oh please Alanna," He wiped imaginary tears from his eye in mockery. "Raoul is married already to Buri, the pastor's daughter of all people! I doubt he'd much consider the thought of meandering with anyone but his wife."

Alanna only huffed and took hold of one of her buckets. From their group of friends, Raoul had been the first to marry. Like Jon, he too was three years older than Alanna and considered of marrying age. Raoul had been lucky in that he had the opportunity to marry for love instead of Jon's arranged marriage. The match between a mere farmer's son and the pastor's daughter had caught everyone off guard but no one had any reasonable grounds to dismiss the match. Raoul came from a good family, even if he was a farmer. It was also unlikely that Raoul would have any relationship with Thayet since his wife Buri was close friends with the black-haired beauty to be wed to Jon. Raoul would not bring shame to either his family or to Thayet's name, even if they had had feelings for each other, which they obviously didn't.

"Excuse me, Alanna?" Jon snapped his fingers only inches in front of her face. This brought Alanna out of her mind wanderings. Startled, Alanna dropped her bucket, the water spilling out onto the grass and over her shoes and her skirts.

"Damn it all!" She exclaimed. There was nothing more that she hated than getting wet.

"Alanna!" Jon hissed at her. He then looked around to see if anyone heard her. "You have to watch your language! That really isn't acceptable, even if you are my friend. What if someone had overheard you?"

"Then I shall do penance and be allotted a week's worth of sewing." She replied, truly not caring.

"I don't want you to be the next victim." Jon grabbed her upper arm and pulled her near. "You're too good Alanna. Just watch your tongue from now on please?" He was pleading with her again.

"Yes, yes, yes of course, Jon I shall be careful." She sighed.

Jon observed her a bit, before saying, "Well now that you've so kindly dumped the water all over the ground I suppose I have to haul up another bucket don't I?" In the end, Jon helped her carry her buckets to her house. Alanna walked next to her friend and was enjoying herself more than she had in weeks. Between the accusations, hearings and hangings there was barely a bright moment in her day. Meetings with George in the barn happened only once or twice a week, if they were lucky. And although she had Thom, a riff had grown between them the last couple years and that riff had never been mended. She didn't even consider talking to her father. Alanna was sure that their dining room table had more emotion than the head of the Trebond family. It wasn't something that she exactly mourned over either. It was a fact of life that she had simply accepted over time and would have found it entirely unnerving if her father turned into an emotional being.

Alanna said good-bye to Jon at her doorstep, promising to bring Thom with her tomorrow afternoon to the Conté house for tea. It wasn't going to be a cozy affair that she was sure of. Jonathon's parents weren't unkind people but they deemed it inappropriate for a female and male to be such close friends. And they did not like her red hair or violet eyes, just another insignificant detail that set Alanna and her brother apart from everyone else in the town.

"Stupid over-bearing parents." She muttered to herself as she began the preparations for this morning's breakfast. "They always have to become involved in everything don't they? Well I'd like to show them what I think of them!" Alanna emphasized her point as she savagely cut up a carrot and dropped it into the pot hanging over the fireplace.

"Talking to carrots are we?" Thom came down that stairs from the loft they shared. He ran his hands through his already tussled hair, making it stand on end. "That's usually the first sign of madness. Then next thing you know you'll end up in the stockades."

"For your information," Alanna turned around to face her brother, wielding the knife in her hand in his direction. "I wasn't talking to a ridiculous carrot. I was merely..." She trailed off. She was about to say that she had been talking to herself, just as ridiculous as talking to vegetables.

Thom grinned, knowing exactly how her sentence would have ended if she had continued.

"Are you going to daddle around all day?" Alanna turned back to making breakfast. "Remember what father said: Sloth is the Devil's work."

"Well Father is also a man who hasn't had time for his children since they were born so I do not agree that we really have to pay heed to what he says." Thom poured himself a cup of time and pecked his sister on the cheek. "Would you be a dear and muck the stables for me my lovely sister?"

Alanna slammed down the knife onto the cutting board, making Thom jump and spill his tea over his nightshirt.

"I can't do everything around here!" Alanna said in a rage. "I've already covered your chores for the past year ever since you became so interested in those, those dark occult rituals. I can't constantly cook, clean, muck the stables, take care of the animals, weed the garden and make the clothes for Heaven's sake! I don't even have anytime to do anything else!" Thom opened his mouth to say something in return but Alanna kept going. "I don't even have a moment's rest. I know we're supposed to work hard but I don't even have the luxury of resting on Sundays, the only acceptable day of rest! I'm going to work myself into an early grave here Thom!" She slammed the knife point first into the wooden cutting board.

Thom waved his hands in a motion for Alanna to calm down. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I'll take care of the barn today alright? And the garden. And I'll fix the furniture." He nodded towards the broken chairs in the corner that hadn't been touched in weeks. He gave a small smile to his sister. "If you would only ask for help more often. You're tough. I always think you can take it."

"I can take it," Alanna huffed. She turned back to chopping and slicing up vegetables. "Don't you think for one second that I can't. I just, I sometimes wish…" She stopped to look out of the kitchen window.

"Wish for what?" Her brother prompted.

Alanna was quiet, trying to gather her jumbled thoughts into a coherent sentence. "Do you think things might have been different if Mother hadn't died?"

It was a question that caught Thom by surprise. It wasn't something he thought of. Well, of course he wished desperately for a Mother when he was younger, always wishing for the day that somehow miraculously she would be there and nobody would ask any questions. The worst part of it was, when he imagined it, he couldn't even conjure up an idea of what she looked like. Their father had hidden away their mother's belongings and any pictures of her that might have existed.

Thom cleared his throat before he answered. "I think things might have been completely different." He looked at Alanna. "I think Father would've been happy."

Alanna couldn't help but snort. "I doubt that horrid man will ever know the meaning of 'happy'" She laughed. "Do you really think we're the Devil's children? I can't imagine Father ever laying with any woman!"

Thom burst out laughing and Alanna followed suit. It felt good, to laugh, even if the case was entirely inappropriate. They heard a scuffle of footsteps near the front door. Immediately the mood was sobered and Alanna and Thom assumed blank, expressionless faces. Someone knocked, and Thom gestured at the door, his expression questioning.

Alanna shrugged her shoulders and went to open the door. Their mystery visitor turned out to be none other than Thayet _jian_ Wilima. The violet-eyed girl couldn't help but be overwhelmed by this gorgeous creature standing on her stoop. Thayet was renowned to be the most beautiful girl in all of New England, perhaps the entire continent and just seeing her was cause enough to take your breath away.

The young women had inky black hair, pulled into neat bun on the back of her head. Hazel eyes glistened under long, think eyelashes which almost brushed the top of her high cheekbones when she blinked. Smooth, immaculate skin was untouched by summer's rays and her hands were soft and showed no signs that she had to toil. Thayet had enticing curves, too enticing by Puritan standards. Even the drab dress could not hide the contours of her body and the dark colors of the fabric did nothing to dampen her beauty.

"May I, may I come in?" She asked with apprehension. "I know the hour is early, but I assure you I've not come to you with an idle matter."

"Of course!" Alanna stepped aside to let in Jon's fiancé. Thayet smiled and entered the house. Alanna glared at Thayet's back and something lurched inside her stomach, her heart tightened. What gave Thayet the right to barge in as if she were somehow in control of the whole village? What gave her the right for visitation so early in the morning when everyone was busy with chores? And why wasn't Thayet doing chores?

"Oh my!" Thayet saw Thom leaning back in his chair, wearing nothing but his nightgown that only came to his knees. "Perhaps this is not the best time to talk?" She laughed nervously. "It seems I came too early!"

"Not to worry." Thom got up and made to go up the stairs. "I've chores to attend to so I really must get a move on. It's nothing really." Alanna heard him reach the loft and move about to get ready. It was wrong for her to admit it, but Alanna had a smug second of satisfaction in viewing Thayet flustered state over Thom. Perhaps next time Alanna should invite Thayet over and have Thom waltz down the stairs naked…

Holding back a smile, she turned to her guest. "What brings you here so early?"

Thayet gestured at the chair. "May I sit? It's a bit of a lengthy explanation. If you have the time of course." She added quickly. Alanna nodded for her to go on. She was utterly surprised that Thayet would show up at her doorstep, asking for her help. After all, weren't Buri and she much closer than Alanna and Thayet? The last time Alanna had an actual conversation with Thayet that hadn't been of church matters had occurred months ago. Still, she had a sneaking suspicion as to what might bring Thayet to her.

"Well, by now you must know that Jonathon's and my wedding date has been arranged and although I've known about it for practically all my life that I would be wed to him, I can't feel but a bit…nervous at the prospect of actually marrying him." Alanna had been right. What else did Thayet have in her life to worry her besides an impending marriage? Nothing. "I mean he is everything that a woman could hope for. He's from a good family, he's very handsome," Thayet blushed after saying this and Alanna stopped herself from rolling her eyes. It wasn't as if 'handsome' was a dirty word!

"He has a prospective future in leadership in our community and he's never been in any trouble." Thayet concluded. "But yet I've never held a single conversation with him alone. Every time we are together his parents or my parents are with us and the only suitable conversation topics are of the Bible, the weather or the harvest. Must I spend the rest of my life conversing with him of only this?"

"Is that all that bothers you?" Alanna asked, astounded. She briefly considered slapping some sense into Thayet.

"No that's not it. Please do not think of me as so shallow!" Thayet laughed. "It's just, I do not know how I must act with him if it is just to be the two of us."

Alanna was almost certainly set on slapping Thayet. "Well if you came to me for advice on married life I'm sorry to inform you that I'm hardly the best person to ask. I've no one that would be interested in marrying me" What about George? Said a nagging voice in her head. "And besides, I'm too much of an oddity to consider marrying." She smoothed her red hair for emphasis. "And why not ask Buri? Is she not closer to you than I am?"

"Well, I do not mean to insult you but yes." Thayet sighed and looked down at her lap. "I am closer to her but of late she spends more and more time at home and with a child on the way I couldn't bear to worry her."

"I'm sure that everyone experiences some sort of anxiety before marriage." Alanna tried her best to be supportive, smoothing over the fretfulness that panged Thayet, much like she had done to Jon only this morning. She wasn't sure that she would help ease Jon's or Thayet's troubles; she was more sure that they wanted spoken consent from others that everything would be alright, even if both of them knew that not everything would turn out to be perfect.

"And also," Alanna continue. "Jon is a perfectly honest and respectable man. There's no reason to fret over marrying him. As to how you should behave: be normal. I'm sure he would appreciate it more if you acted as how you would like to be and not like the wooden block that you are when you are with Jon and your parents. Jon would certainly feel more at ease if the two of you can be yourselves without the other thinking poorly of the other."

"You really think this?" Thayet asked hopefully.

"Oh I know it." Alanna said with a grin. "I remember once when we were young, we were helping carry wood for a bonfire after the harvest. It was Jon, Raoul, Thom, Gary and I, I being the only girl of course. I was only allowed by the boys to be there because Thom was friends with them all and I was his twin sister that had to be dragged along. Well, Jon tripped me, thinking it'd be funny. I got straight up and started chasing him around with a stick!" Thayet laughed and Alanna had to giggle along with her. "You would have thought the Devil himself was chasing him, the way Jon was shouting. It was only after that incident that I really became friends with them, oddly enough."

Thayet smiled, looking even more radiant than when she assumed a neutral expression. "So you're saying in order to win his respect I have to chase him with a stick?"

"Nothing quite as drastic please," Alanna crossed her arms and leaned against the counter. "You wouldn't want to be dragged off the stockades now would you?"

Alanna and Thayet spent the rest of the morning in friendly conversation, the latter much happier than when she had first arrived at the house. Perhaps all she needs is a friend, Alanna thought. Besides Buri, Thayet had no other close friends. The other girls were jealous of Thayet, of her looks, of her wealthy family, of her fine clothing. To Alanna it made no difference if Thayet was a simple farmer's daughter: she was the only other normal girl in town besides Buri. Thayet happily volunteered to help Alanna weed and take of the garden, and right then Alanna decided that perhaps she needn't slap sense into Thayet, that would be going a bit too far. Thom went about his other chores, relieved that he wouldn't have to do any gardening.

Thayet refused Alanna's invitation for lunch, arguing that she had taken up enough of Alanna's time and hospitality that morning. She was about to leave when Alanna blurted out the question that had been forming in her head ever since Thayet had come that morning for help.

"Are you nervous about marrying Jon because there's someone else that you'd rather be with?" Alanna wanted to clap her hands over her mouth as soon as the words escaped her. Even for her, this was forthright and seemingly out of the blue. Nevertheless, Alanna watched Thayet's expression very carefully. If Jon was suspicious that his future fiancé was sleeping with someone else, than he had every right to know.

At first Thayet opened her mouth, presumably to say "That's silly!" She said nothing and looked away from Alanna, then back to Alanna and finally to the trees behind the violet-eyed girl. Alanna couldn't help but notice that flash of guilt that appeared in her face. A spilt second later, Thayet assumed a smile and said "It wouldn't really be worth thinking about it, since the wedding has been set in stone for years." She gave a nervous laugh to cover up her roundabout answer.

"I believe my parents expected me back sooner," Thayet was now trying to escape as fast as possible, Alanna saw. "But thank you for everything my dear. If I have anything else that I may want to confide in you, may I come back?"

"Any time you feel as if you have something you can't tell anyone else, I'll be here to listen." How desperately Alanna wished that she could just ask Thayet if she was sleeping with another man. Life would be so much simpler and then Jon wouldn't have to marry her! The beautiful girl waved good-bye as she set off home down the road.

Back in the house, Alanna threw her sewing on the table and quite explicitly cursed Thayet's name. Now all that she could think of was how she was betraying Jon! After seeing how Thayet how squirmed earlier, she was all but completely convinced that there was something going on between Thayet and another man, however Alanna had no idea who it might be. Who would Thayet be attracted to if not Jon, who was the handsomest man in Salem?

"Great," she muttered to the shirt she was mending. "Now this will keep me awake at night and I can't even ask her straight out without offending her. What a stupid situation."

"Now what's stupid?" Said a voice in the doorway. Alanna squealed and jumped out of her chair, forgetting that she had kept the front door open to air out the house.

"George!" She managed to exclaim. "What in the name of all that is good and holy are you doing waltzing into my house in the middle of the day?" If her father found out that George was here with her, alone, without a chaperon…

"Calm down lass," he chuckled and took up the chair next to her. "Would you mind terribly getting me something cool to drink? It's blazing hot outside today." He shrugged out of his coat and hung it on the chair.

"Oh great," Alanna threw up her hands. "First you decide to enter uninvited into my house and now you go about commanding me as if it's your own!" Although it was only a coat, Alanna couldn't help but blush at the sight of George undressing in front of her.

"Please my sweet dove," he crooned. "You wouldn't want me to pass out of thirst in your kitchen and then have to explain to your father why there's an unconscious man lying on the floor, now would you?"

Grumbling about "the insolence of some men" Alanna got out a pitcher of cool water and two cups for her and George. After he had drunk enough to keep him from falling out of his chair, Alanna asked the man why he was here.

"To be honest," He began as Alanna sighed. She hoped this was not going to turn into another comforting session similar to Jon and Thayet's confessionals that she had to endure. Weren't there other people in this town besides her?

"Please don't sigh like that. You'll discourage even the bravest of men from ever finishing their thoughts." George fiddled his thumbs, a sign of nervousness that made Alanna's heart race. What now? What could possibly be making George nervous, of all people?

George continued on. "After last night, in the barn, I felt guilty of what I had done. Don't get me wrong, it was wonderful laying in the straw with you and feeling so close to you. But I felt as if I had taken advantage of you and your feelings, and I didn't want you to feel as if I had betrayed you somehow. I don't want you to feel as if you were but a passing fancy to me, someone that wouldn't mean anything in a few months." Alanna was sure that her eyebrows had shot up straight to her hairline. Whatever she had expected from George, her guesses had been miles off to what he was saying now.

"I was actually hoping your father might be here when I came. You see Alanna," he took her small hands into his own. "I was looking for his permission to court you." Now Alanna was sure that she had heard it all and would die peacefully knowing that there was nothing else in life that would surprise her. Heart-break, accusations of adultery, a brother into the dark occult, a despondent father, false witch trials and now a proposition of courtship was too much for one sane person to handle calmly without slapping a good few people on the head.

"I'm sorry," Alanna stuttered. "Could you please repeat that last part? I thought I heard you make an insane request to court me."

George looked down sheepishly. "Well you heard me correctly, although I wouldn't exactly call it insane. It's perfectly practical." At this point, Alanna got up and went over to lean on the kitchen counter, looking out the window, away from George. "I'm tired of sneaking about and trying to hide something that we shouldn't be ashamed of."

"Right, because passionately kissing an unmarried woman is something that my father would approve of and would let us do it right in front of him." She retorted bitterly. Why did everything suddenly have to become so complicated? Alanna had thought that these stupid witch trials might put off any drama that people might have to better times, after everyone once again became sane, reasonable people and realized that there were no witches to be had and the people of Salem would once again go about their daily lives. It seemed that it was not to be. Alanna now had a plate full of drama that wasn't even related the craze that had taken hold of Salem.

"Don't be sarcastic with me!" George snapped back. "I want to do things properly and by God, Alanna I'd rather have your father's permission to see you and be watched by him than have to sneak about and know that if we get caught, the both of us will face some serious consequences. Excuse me if I'm not taking it as lightly as you are."

"Look," he shook his head. "I know your father isn't particularly fond of me, but he has no reason to turn me down. I haven't done anything I'm ashamed of doing, I've done nothing that would land me in jail and I make enough to have a comfortable life."

"You do run an illegal trading system with the Natives and the outlaws living in the wilderness, don't you?" Alanna asked dryly, now turning to face her lover.

"Ha!" George chuckled and had the decency to look somewhat embarrassed. "Well that's how I can afford the comfortable lifestyle I mentioned before."

"And if you get caught? Don't say that there isn't a chance you won't. Salem is a small town and it is mighty hard to keep a secret."

"Ah but we've managed perfectly so far haven't we?" Alanna scowled at this remark. George got up and walked over to where Alanna stood by the counter. "My sweet dove," he said as he leaned her back so she was pressed against the counter and his body. He kissed her tenderly on her forehead and even such a chaste kiss was enough to set Alanna's cheeks ablaze. Wasn't he aware of how he made her feel, even with such a simple kiss? And with him pressing up so close against her, well, it did nothing to stop her heart from speeding up.

Alanna bit her lower lip and turned her head as George put his arms around her. "If you're so uncomfortable with me involved in such trade than I'll gladly put a stop to it. But not for a little while more."

"And why is that?"

"You see…" George drifted off as his gaze drifted to the window and became focused on whatever was outside. "Say Alanna, did your father happen to mention what time he'd be home?"

Her heart nearly stopped beating right then and there. "Eh, no he failed to tell me this morning before he left. Please don't tell me he's coming back home now."

"Oh he is," George said as he hurriedly dragged Alanna away from the window. "And by the looks of it he's got company with him. What do we do?" He turned to her. "Is there someplace I can hide?" Alanna heard the steps of her father and his friends outside. It was too late to rush George out the back door. It was too far away and by the time Alanna shoved George out the back, the company would have made it into the house.

With only seconds before George was to be discovered in her house alone with her, Alanna glanced towards the stairs leading to the loft that only she and Thom shared.

"Quickly!" Alanna pushed George in that direction and bustled him up the stairs. George needed no extra encouragement and took the stairs two at a time. Alanna reached the top of the landing and was out of sight just as her father entered the house.

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><p><strong>I love cliff hangers. Don't you? Review and tell me what I can improve on or what you did or didn't like. Don't underestimate the power of a review!<strong>


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